


You Brought Colours With You

by cissamione



Category: Shetland (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 07:38:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cissamione/pseuds/cissamione
Summary: Rhona and Phyllis begin to work things out after the end of series 3 with a little help from Jimmy.





	You Brought Colours With You

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this ages ago, but I hope everyone enjoys it!

Rhona yanked her wellies off and dropped them just outside the front door, then ushered Dacey, the dog, inside and closed the door, blocking the cold wind. She hung up Dacey’s lead and shrugged her jacket off, hooking it on a peg next to the red lead. She followed Dacey into the kitchen, where the dog was lapping furiously from her water bowl. Rhona snagged a bottle of red from the wine rack and a glass from the cupboard and sank onto the couch, pouring a generous glass.

Rhona remembered all the times she and Phyllis had cooked together, laughing, drinking, dancing. All the times they had snuggled on the couch as the English woman had complained of the cold on the islands. All the times they had tumbled into bed together, kissing and pulling off clothes. Phyllis would always wrap the quilt tight around them as they made the most of their short weekends together, but Rhona had always wanted to  _ see _ her lover, to have images to hold as memories for the weeks when they were apart. Everything had always been so easy with Phyllis. They had sort of just fallen in together. It had always been fun, happy, carefree, until Sarwar had appeared, and with him, he brought ugly truths, and now Rhona felt cut adrift.

With a heavy sigh, Rhona took another gulp of wine and wandered through to the spare room, where the piano stood, dusty and unused. She just couldn’t escape the memories of Phyllis, wherever she went. Rhona had only ever kept the old piano because it had belonged to her mother, but Phyllis had brought the piano to life again, she had brought Rhona to life. Rhona heard the patter of dog’s paws on the wood floor, then Dacey has shoving her wet nose into Rhona’s hand. Rhona grumbled affectionately, ruffling the russet hair on Dacey’s head.

Dacey ran to the window, resting her nose of the window sill as she watched Jimmy Perez come up the path, her tail wagging enthusiastically. He knocked and Dacey ran to the front door, followed at a more sedate pace by Rhona, who opened the door. “Jimmy.” She greeted, stepping back and following him into the lounge. “Have a seat, can I get you a drink?”

Jimmy sat on one of the stools lined up by the bench. “Just a whisky if you have it, thanks.”

“Sure.” Rhona had left her empty wine glass in the other room, so she poured to glasses of Scotch, sliding one over to her colleague and friend, keeping the other for herself as she leaned against the bench. “How can I help you?”

“I came by to see how you’re doing. I have nae talked to you in a while.” Jimmy sipped his whisky.

“I’m fi- I… I miss her, but I’m so angry at her. I hate what she did, and the consequences of it. How many people were hurt by Ben’s crime, and by her deal with Sarwar, and by his cover up of their little pact?” Rhona exclaimed angrily. She didn’t mean to say so much, the wine and whisky had loosened her tongue. “But I love her.” She said in a whisper, her head falling to rest on her forearms on the bench, her shoulders hunching as the tears began to slip from her closed eyes.

“Aye, you do.” Rhona heard Jimmy’s footsteps, then felt his arm wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into his arms as she cried.

When Rhona couldn’t cry any more, she lifted her face and smiled sadly at Jimmy. “I’m sorry, about this.” She waved her arms, indicating her emotional state. “I’m not very good company anymore.”

“Sometimes you just need a good cry.” Jimmy said understandingly, patting her shoulder. “If you want my advice, talk to her.”

Rhona nodded slowly. “Maybe… Maybe I will. Thanks.”

“I’ll leave you to it.” Jimmy finished his drink. “Don’t get plastered, eh?”

“I won’t.” Rhona rolled her eyes good-naturedly and waved Jimmy off. She pulled a book from the bookcase and went upstairs, Dacey following hot on her heels. Rhona went into her room and changed into her warm flannel pyjamas. It was funny, she thought, when she had been with Phyllis, even when the other woman wasn’t physically in bed with her, she hadn’t needed such warm pyjamas, but now, she felt too cold, always too cold. Rhona pulled on her fluffy dressing gown, and walked down the hall to the spare room. The night that Phyllis had left, Rhona hadn’t known if she was coming back, and she had crawled into the bed where they had spent so many hours together and tossed and turned. Eventually she had gone into the spare room, and slipped into the smaller double bed and fallen asleep. In the weeks since then, she hadn’t slept in her own room, it was haunted by the ghosts of their love, and by the horror of the thoughts - what else had Phyllis lied about? What other secrets had she kept? What others laws and professional boundaries and rules had she broken.

Rhona leaned against the pillows, her knees drawn up as she read, Dacey stretched out on the other side of the bed, her reddish-brown hair a firm contracts with the pale floral quilt.

***

Rhona woke with a start. A glance at the clock told her that it was one am. There was a faint ache in her head as she dropped back onto the pillow. In her dreams, it had felt so good, so right, to be in Phyllis’s arms again. It had felt so good to feel  _ loved _ again. Maybe Jimmy was right, maybe she should talk to Phyllis. There was so much she wanted to say, but when Phyllis called after everything died down, Rhona had ignored it, only sending a text requesting space. Phyllis hadn’t contacted her since then, though Rhona knew from Jimmy that Phyllis had resigned, her career killed stone dead by the revelations of Jimmy’s investigations, though she had avoided jail-time - just.

_ Brrriinng, brring _ . Before she knew, she had pressed call, and the phone was ringing, but no one was answering. After what seemed like hours, her heart thudding in her chest, half hoping Phyllis would pick up, and half hoping that she wouldn’t, the answering message echoed in her ear, Phyllis’s voice, her smart, posh voice, and the tone sounded. “Hi.” Rhona began. “It’s me. Rhona. I wanted…” All of a sudden there was a lump in her throat, and tears in her eyes. “I wanted to talk to you. I want to see you. I miss you, and… I love you.” RHona ended the call and sunk back into the bed, leaving her phone of the bedside table.

***

Rhona woke up feeling groggy, it was still early, only just past six. Downstairs, she heard a single bark from Dacey and she groaned. What idiot was at the door at this ungodly hour. She groaned again, and got out of bed, and went downstairs. When she opened the door, she gasped. “Christ!” She said, her voice still croaky with sleep. “Phyllis.”

“Rhona. I got your message.” Phyllis said. Rhona noticed that she didn’t seem as sure of herself, not as confident, though she didn’t know if she could put that down to the state of their relationship, or the fact that her career and reputation were in tatters.

“Come in.” Rhona led Phyllis into the lounge, and felt the heat creep up her neck when she saw the whisky bottle and tumblers on the bench, the half empty wine bottle on the coffee table. “Jimmy Perez came round for a chat last night.” Rhona explained, but Phyllis barely seemed to notice.

“Are you alright, Rho?” Phyllis asked gently, concern clear in her voice.

Rhona imagined how she must look, scruffy hair, purple bags under her eyes, dry lips. Probably a bit thinner than usual. Offering excuses for the alcohol she hadn’t tidied away the previous night. “I just don’t understand, Phyllis! The woman I love wouldn’t make deals with men who order murders and rapes!” Phyllis sat quietly as Rhona yelled. “ _ Tosh _ was kidnapped and raped on Sarwar’s orders, countless others too, I presume. A man was killed! Shot dead in cold blood! On Sarwar’s orders. But you’ve been keeping him safe, out of jail, so he can keep ordering  _ atrocities _ like that. God, Phyllis, I want to hate you, so much, for that, but I  _ can’t _ , because I love you, and I can’t stop loving you.” Rhona crumpled in on herself, angrily swiping away the tears that were falling.

“I’m so sorry, Rhona. I didn’t know.” Phyllis said and Rhona looked at her disbelievingly. “I was blocking financial investigations, I had no idea about any of the rest of it. I thought he was only swiping some of McCall’s money. And I didn’t know… that Ben had done it. That poor girl.” Rhona watched as a tear slid down Phyllis’s face. “If I’d known what Ben had done, I wouldn’t have made a deal with Sarwar, but Ben told me, he swore to me that it was a lie, and I believed him. I wouldn’t have done it, Rho, I wouldn’t have.”

“I know, sweetheart.” Rhona reached and placed her hand gently on Phyllis’s. “I know.”

***

“Would you like a coffee?” Rhona asked. It was eight o’clock, and Phyllis was sitting at the bench while Rhona made coffee.

“Yes, please.” Phyllis said. “Rhona, can I ask you something?”

“If you like.” Rhona answered. She really didn’t know where this was going but she hoped there weren’t going to be more tears, they had both cried enough, in her opinion.

“Are you willing to give us another chance?” Rhona appreciated that Phyllis didn’t add any unnecessary words to her question, nothing to mitigate her actions, or to influence her answer.

“I think so, yes. I am. But I want to take things slow, Phyllie.” Rhona watched as the taller woman lit up, her lips curving into a smile, her blue eyes sparkling.

“I’ve always loved it when you called me that.”

Rhona flashed a grin. “I know.”

“Can I kiss you?” Phyllis asked, uncertain hope glowing on her face.

Rhona hesitated a moment. “Of course.” She said slowly, and Phyllis stood up. They met halfway around the island bench, Rhona’s hand going to Phyllis’s waist, pulling the taller woman closer, Phyllis’s hands cupping Rhona’s face, tilting her chin upwards. Their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss. To Rhona it was like a spark, and as soon as they touched, it exploded into a burning inferno inside her. She pressed herself against Phyllis, her hands pulling at Phyllis’s shirt. “Bed. Now.” Rhona demanded, and they stumbled upstairs, Rhona leading the way.

“You said slow, darling.” Phyllis reminded with a smirk. As much as she wanted this, she didn’t want to push Rhona too far too early.

“Fuck slow.” Rhona exclaimed vehemently.

“I’ll fuck you.” Phyllis responded and Rhona erupted into laughter.

“Sounds good.” She said as she pulled Phyllis down the hall, leaving a trail of clothing behind them.

***

Rhona smiled as Phyllis pulled the quilt tighter around them. “How did you get here so early?”

Phyllis stroked a lock of Rhona’s dark hair back from her face. “I haven’t been sleeping well, so when I woke up and saw your message, I thought damn it all to hell, what have I got left to lose, I’ll go and see her. So I packed some clothes and got on the first available flight. And here I am.”

“Thank you for doing that. It means a lot, Phyllie.” Rhona snuggled closer to Phyllis.

“I’d go anywhere for you, Rhona.” Phyllis said into Rhona’s messy hair as the Scottish woman laid her head on Phyllis’s chest. “Why didn’t you take me into your room?”

Rhona inhaled and exhaled slowly. She knew that Phyllis wasn’t pushing anything, she was just curious, and probably worried. Phyllis always worried too much. “It didn’t feel right in there, without you. I couldn’t sleep. I spent hours wondering if there were any other lies you told me. I didn’t know if you really did love me or if I was just an easy shag.”

“I never lied to you about  _ anything _ , apart from… and of course I love you, Rho, I don’t think anyone would commit to a distance relationship just for sex.” Phyllis desperately wanted Rhona to understand.

Rhona tapped her fingers on Phyllis’s hip. “I know. I love you too.” Rhona pulled Phyllis out of bed. “Come on, I need a shower, and Dacey needs a walk.”

Phyllis slipped her arm around Rhona’s naked waist as she hurried them to the bathroom. “God, it’s freezing here.” Rhona rolled her eyes at Phyllis.

***

Phyllis watched as a droplet of water flew from Rhona’s damp hair as she flicked it out from beneath her jacket and pulled it into a ponytail. “What’re you staring at?” Rhona asked as she clipped Dacey’s lead on and opened the door. 

“You.” Phyllis answered succinctly with a smirk. 

“Huh.” Rhona strode down the path and Phyllis quickly caught up. She knew that as confident as Rhona appeared, compliments always made her feel awkward, but Rhona always appreciates them. Rhona smiled and leaned into Phyllis when the older woman slips her hand into the Scotswoman’s. They walked in silence until they arrived at the beach and Rhona crouched down to let Dacey off the lead. “I’m still pissed at you.” Rhona said quietly, out of the blue. 

“I know.” Phyllis said, wrapping her arms around Rhona’s waist, and the shorter woman leaned back into her lover.

“Good.” Rhona leaned her head back onto Phyllis’s shoulder, and Phyllis kissed her temple softly. “How long do I have with you until you have to go back to Glasgow?”

Phyllis sighed. “However long you like.” Rhona could hear the sadness in Phyllis’s voice, she knew that they were incredibly alike in their love for their job, and Phyllis was going to miss having a purpose, a reason to get up in the mornings, Rhona knew that she would if shoe was on the other foot. “If you want me to stay, that is.”

“Of course I want you to stay, but don’t you need to get your stuff, clothes and that sort of thing?”

“Well, how long am I staying?” Phyllis hedged, resting her head against Rhona’s as they watched Dacey sprint along the beach.

“Forever?”

“That sound nice.” Phyllis smiled, and pulled Rhona around for a deep kiss.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Rhona wrapped her arms around Phyllis, who hummed her agreement.

***

Rhona strode into her office the next day with a bounce in her step. A few minutes later, the door opened and Jimmy Perez strolled in, with what passed, for him, as a cheerful smile on his face. “Morning, Rhona.”

“Good morning, Jimmy.” Rhona answered, and raised an eyebrow at him. He was probably her closest friend on Shetland, he understood the pressures of being in charge at work, and they got on well. “How can I help you?”

“I just wanted to offer my best wishes for the future.” Jimmy said cryptically.

“Are you going somewhere?”

Jimmy leaned against the table in her office. “No, I meant for your future, with Phyllis.”

“How did you know?” Rhona asked, baffled. He couldn’t have known that Phyllis was even in Lerwick, let alone that she was staying, just because of how Rhona walked into the station  that morning.

“I have my ways.” He tapped the side of his nose and grinned at her. “And I saw you two down at the beach yesterday. You looked very happy.”

Rhona smiled. She couldn’t help it, she smiled just at the thought of Phyllis. “Thank you, Jimmy.”

***

Rhona sat next to Phyllis on the plane. They were flying to Glasgow to sort out Phyllis’s things, to decide what would be taken back to Shetland, what would be put in storage, and what would be thrown out. The view out of the window was predictably cloudy, so Rhona turned her face to look at Phyllis, who was engrossed in an Agatha Christie mystery. “I don’t know how you still read those, having worked in some form of the law for most of your life.”

Phyllis laughed. “I don’t know either. I like the mysteries that aren’t real, I suppose. I know that when I finish reading one of these, real life isn’t usually so bad.” Phyllis said wryly and slid her hand into Rhona’s. “I’ll have plenty of time to read  when we get back, won’t I?”

“You’re going to need a more productive hobby,” Rhona laughed and leaned her head on Phyllis’s shoulder, “How about knitting lovely warm jumpers for winter?” Rhona laughed even harder when she caught the horrified look of Phyllis’s face.

“I will never knit a single stitch, so you can put that idea out of your head.”

“Well, I’m not sure how many of those books they’ll have in Lerwick Library, or any of the other libraries on the islands, for that matter.” Rhona teased happily.”You’ve probably read them all.”

“I will buy them when I come to Glasgow to visit little Isla and Olivia.” Phyllis laid her glasses on the tray table with her book.

“You really do have it all planned out! How are they, Olivia and the wee one, your grandbaby?” Rhona asked with a fond smile.

“Ugh, I feel so old when I’m called a grandmother. They’re good, she hasn’t banned me from seeing Isla, so that’s something, but she is divorcing Ben.” Rhona just squeezed Phyllis’s hand and kissed her shoulder. Sometimes silence was better than the repeated platitudes of  _ it wasn’t your fault _ and  _ you didn’t do anything wrong _ .

***

“Hello, Ben.” Phyllis watched her son across the cafe table. He had been granted bail, and was staying in the spare room of his house. Rhona rubbed small circles on Phyllis’s hand with her thumb where Phyllis was clasping her hand tight in her lap.

“Mum, Rhona.” Ben answered. He was leaning back in his chair, a coffee in his hands. “How are you both?”

Rhona let Phyllis answer. She was here to support Phyllis, who hadn’t seen Ben since he had been arrested, she had been too angry with him. “We’re good, thanks, and yourself?” Phyllis said politely, but there was little warmth in her voice. Rhona could hear all the betrayal and anger that Phyllis felt towards her son, feelings that Rhona had, and maybe still did somewhere in the deep recesses of her heart, felt towards Phyllis.

“Good, too. Liv says that I have to move out after the trial, if I don’t get convicted, and if I do, I still have to move my stuff.” Ben sounded bitter about the news he was relaying to his mother.

“I see.” Phyllis didn’t know what else to say, in her opinion, Olivia was justified, if she had been in her daughter-in-law’s position, she would’ve kicked Ben out straight away. “I’m moving too. I’m going to Shetland to live with Rhona, we’re sorting out the house this weekend, so if there’s anything you were particularly fond of…” Phyllis trailed off, and Rhona squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“I’d like that photo of you, Dad, and I, from when we went to Greece.”

“Of course” Phyllis murmured.

Ben set his cup on the table and waved the waiter away. “What about the trial? Will you come? What about Isla, when will you see her? He demanded, and Phyllis glanced at Rhona.

“I’m sorry, Ben, but I’m not sure if I want to come to the trial. I don’t think I need to know the details of… that night. I will visit Isla, of course, and Olivia. When she’s older, perhaps Isla can come to the islands for holidays.”

“You will be called to give evidence, I think, in the trial.” Ben countered, and Phyllis nodded.

“Then I will come for that, but only that. I’ve no desire to sit in a courtroom gallery and watch. We’ve got to go now, Ben, a meeting with the estate agent, there’s nothing else you want?

Ben frowned. “Do you still have Dad’s watch and his wedding ring, I’d like those.”

“I’ll drop them off at your house sometime tomorrow. Good bye, Ben.” Phyllis kissed Ben on the cheek and left the cafe, quickly flagging down a taxi and climbing in with Rhona close behind. Rhona didn’t say anything as the taxi drove, she just held Phyllis’s hand. She always thought that Phyllis should have let events run their course after Burns Night, but she also knew that Phyllis needed comfort after denying that Ben had raped Kelly Paterson, and then being so suddenly confronted with the truth of the situation.

***

Rhona watched as Phyllis pulled on her pyjamas, very much a contrast to Rhona’s own baggy t-shirt. Rhona kept watching as Phyllis stopped in front of her dresser, and stared at the photo of Ben, Isla, Olivia, Rhona, and herself at Isla’s christening. “I thought I had raised him better than that.” Rhona heard Phyllis say quietly, sadly.

Rhona watched for a beat longer, and as Phyllis turned around, she said, “I think that there is only so much a parent can do, Phyllie.”

“What do you mean?” Phyllis climbed into bed and pulled Rhona close, and they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Well, nature vs nurture. How a parent raises a child can only have so much of an impact on a child’s nature.” As Phyllis drew in a sharp breath, Rhona kept talking, “I’m not saying that what happened was inevitable, but I think circumstances aligned themselves that night, and sometimes people do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do, in certain circumstances.”

Phyllis sighed, and rested her head on Rhona’s shoulder. “Read to me,” she requested, and Rhona smiled softly as she picked her book up and began to read gently. They both knew that their troubles, between each other, between Phyllis and Ben, wouldn’t simply go away, but both Rhona and Phyllis were felt safe in the idea that so long as they worked through things together, and a couple, in partnership, they could reach a place where they both felt peace.

**Author's Note:**

> As I say at the end of every fic, please leave kudos and comments, and let me know what sort of stuff you like/want to see more of.


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